Improvement in trusses for bridges



-UNiTnD STATES- PATENT @Erica `IMPFRVEMENT INTRUSS'ES FOR BRIDGES.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 8,643, dated .luly 11, v

lTo all whomt may concern.

Be it known th at I, WILLIAM BATCHELDER,

'of Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Trusses for Bridges or Roofs; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanyin drawings, of whi'ch-4 Figure l is 'La side elevation, Fig. 2 a top view, and Fig. 3 a transverse section, of a bridge-frame made in accordance with my invention.

Each of the truss -framcs of the bridge is mainly composed of rods, each ot' them having an eye at each of its ends. With these rods 'certain connections are employed, each of which consstsof two metallic plates arranged side by 'side'and 'at a short distance apart, and conne'ctedby a series of rivets or screwfbolts going laterally through them. These connections are represented at A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. The distance between the two plates of each connection is equal to or a little greater than the diameter ofeither of the rods which are to go between thesaid plates.

In composing the truss I. make use et' a series of inclined rods, a a, and counterinclined rods b b, which I arrangew'ith respect to eachother and with a series of the connections A A A A A in manner as exhibited in Fig. l. Each of the said rods (formed with an eye at each end of it, as shown in Fig. 4) has its eyes inserted between the plates of two of the connections A A, and the rod is secured to such connee- -tions by'a bolt or rivet goingthrough each of Except at the ends of the truss, each of the rods e, proceeding upward from either connection B, is united with one of a series of trian guiar-shaped connections D, disposed with respect tothe series of connections B B in manner as shown in Fig. l. Each connection D is suspended by a hanger composed ot rods o p q from a connection, G, disposed at the, upper part ofthe truss, there being one of the connections G immediately 4over each of the connections D. The two outer rods, c may be fastened at their upper ends .to the two ezt-,

treme rods a b. The connection G has two rods, h h, extending from it to the next adjacent two connections, A A, in manner as shown in the drawings.

There is arranged directly over the connections'D a connection, E, down through which the suspensionrod q, forming part of the hanger, passes. Furthermore, the connection E is suspended from the two upper connections A A by two inclined rods, r fr. rods,ff, extend from thelower part of the connection E, and proceed to and are connected with two triangular-connections, C C, there being a connection, C, directly over each of the connections B. A rod, s, suspended from the connection C, supports at its lower end a triangular connection, H, which is arranged between and connected to two of the lowermost connections A A by rods c c. i

Between each two of the connections G E, throughout the bridge, two connections,-F F, are arranged as shown in Fig. 1.V The said connections F F have rods extendi u g from them to the two next adjacent connections A A in manner as represented in Fig. 1, each rod g in its course from one connection F to its connection A beingcarried through the other connection F. The two rods g g also pass between the pair of rods p p, which are jointed to the rods p q by bolts or rivets going through the adjacent eyes of the said rods. VEach connection F is joined with the next contiguous con nections G E by two rods, t t, arranged as shown in Fig. l.

I would remark that the two extreme rods ffmay be joined at their upper ends to the rods ab; or, if preferable, each of them may be extended upward and be connected with a rod, r, as exhibited by dotted lines, in which case each rod e may be also extended beyond its rod c 0r b, and be connected with the rod r by a rod or chain, r.

At the intersection ofeach two crossing rods I employ a ring, n, to goaround the two, in order to give sti'ness to the structure.

A truss of any desirable length maybe thus made by increasing the bars and connections p and represented.

'or A A ot` the 'two trusses, the bend ofthe rod and arranging them substantially as described rlhe side elevation exhibits how the parts of two sections of the truss are arranged and connected.

The arrangeinehtot' the various parts of this truss is suoli that a weight hearing ou either of the parts B, and tending to depress it, will produce a counter action or tendencv of the truss to camber.

In placing two or more ofthe trusses together or parallel to one another their opposite parts A A are to be connected by horizontal parallel rods u u, (see 2,) and by diagonal rods ik. The opposite parts B B are also to be so eonneeted, and there is to be a bent rod, Z, extended between eaeh of the two opposite partsG G being` at the crossing ot the two diagonal rods t' k, and the three rods k l being` encircled by a ring, w, where the3T come together, the whole being;` as shown in vthe drawings. l

tlooringtiinbers ofthe bridge may rest directly on the series ot' lower parallelbars, u u.

I would remark that the eyes ofthe rods mayT Simili ole-ite as nl; f The truss iin/.n antieully as described-that is e i, of e reds a a, b b, c oec, tiddd, @eee ,fj 'f /iLg/g, kfz, rr, tttt, the hangers 0 p ,fp t the eon'neetions A A A A A, C C, D, .i F, and G, arranged and applied togetherin manner as specified and represented.

2. In combination therewith, the series of rings e or their equivalents applied at the interseetions or crossings of.' the rods.

The eommlnetio'ri of two ofthe said trusses and two series of parallel rods u u, diagonal rods t' 7e, and bent reds Z, arranged with the said trusses, as speeiied.

WIL-LAM BATCHELDER.

Witnesses J. G. GEMsH, G. W. J oHNsoN. 

